THE NIBBLE BLOG: Products, Recipes & Trends In Specialty Foods


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RECIPE: Blueberry Vinaigrette

It’s easy to make a sweet-and-tart fruit
vinaigrette. Photo and recipe courtesy
WildBlueberries.com.

Why purchase bottled salad dressing when it’s so easy, less expensive and healthier to make your own (you control the sodium and sugar levels and don’t add preservatives)?

It’s simple to mix oil and vinegar, but not that much more trouble to make a delicious fruit vinaigrette.

While it’s the perfect time to take advantage of high-antioxidant summer blueberries, you can make this recipe year-round with frozen fruit.

BLUEBERRY VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine or cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons prepared mustard, preferably Dijon or whole-grain)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen/thawed
Preparation
1. Combine all ingredients except blueberries and whisk thoroughly in a bowl (you can shake them in a jar if you prefer).

2. Add blueberries. In this easy recipe, the blueberries are added whole; but if you have extra time, you can purée the fruit for a thicker dressing. Then, add the purée in step one, and garnish the salad with some extra blueberries.

3. Store in refrigerator until ready to use. Makes 1-1/2 cups. Serve with green salad, salad greens with grilled chicken or fish or with fruit salad.

You can use this recipe to make mango, raspberry, strawberry or other fruit vinaigrette as well. Since the fruit is larger, you’ll need to make a small dice or else purée it.

Find more of our favorite salad dressings in our Oil, Vinegar & Dressings Section.

 

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PRODUCT: Cucumber Soda

Perhaps you‘ve had a glass of cucumber water, one of our favorite infusions. Just toss cucumber slices into a pitcher of water and let it infuse for an hour.

Now, meet Mr. Q. Cumber, a sparkling cucumber beverage. Think of it as sweet, sparkling cucumber water.

Cucumber is actually a fruit—the botanical relative of a watermelon. (Think about it: A watermelon is like a giant cucumber with colored flesh. Watermelon rind tastes like cucumber—try it!)

Back to Mr. Q. Cumber: It tastes like 7-Up with an infusion of fresh cucumber. The vegetal quality of the cucumber plays against the sweetness of the soft drink. We like it!

Buy Mr. Q. Cumber online. For a retailer near you, contact GlobalBeverageEnterprises.com.

What if you want a cucumber soda right now? Make your own! In a collins glass, add 4 slices of cucumber, muddling one at a time. Top with club soda or seltzer; add sweetener to taste. You can use sugar, but agave nectar has one-third the glycemic value and is easier to mix in a cold beverage. Or, use your favorite noncaloric sweetener for a virtually calorie-free drink.

 

Cucumber soda rocks. Photo by Hannah
Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

You’ll have to play with the proportions of cucumber and sweetener to get your ideal combination. Garnish with a crunchy cucumber wheel, of course!

  • Find more of our favorite soft drinks.
  • Dry Soda, an elegant line of sophisticated soft drinks in flavors such as Juniper Berry, Kumquat, Lavender, Lemongrass, Rhubarb and Vanilla Bean, now makes a Cucumber soda. Read our review of Dry Soda.

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TIP OF THE DAY: Ripen Tomatoes The Right Way

Keep ‘em on the counter. Photo by
Nathalie Dulex | SXC.

Never put tomatoes in the refrigerator: The cold kills their delicate flavor. If you’ve used half a tomato, it’s better to keep the other half covered in plastic wrap on the counter and consume it the following day.

Tomato Ripening Tips

  • You can ripen tomatoes on the counter, but they’ll ripen faster on a sunny windowsill.
  • To ripen tomatoes quickly, place them in a paper bag, which traps the ethylene gas emitted by the tomatoes (this technique works for all fruits that ripen—bananas, peaches, pears and plums, e.g.). Monitor the fruit daily because it can go from rock hard to overripe in a few days.
  • Apples produce an unusually large amount of ethylene, so you can add an apple to the bag to speed ripening.
Note that it’s important to store apples apart from green vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and leafy greens—their qualities can be affected by the ethylene gas. That’s why there are separate fruit and vegetable bins in the refrigerator.

 

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FOOD FACTS: What Makes A Food “American?”

Thanks to our friends at FoodTimeline.org for this interesting take on what makes a food “American.”

Nearly all of today’s popular American foods—apple pie, chocolate, cole slaw, hamburgers, hot dogs, jelly beans, ice cream, pizza, potato salad, steak, tacos, and watermelon—originated in other countries. (Check the origins on FoodTimeline.org.) Their ingredients and recipes were introduced to our shores by immigrants.

While settlers to America found a variety of New World-origin foods—blueberries, chestnuts, corn, cranberries, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, pumpkin, sweet and white potatoes, turkey, wild rice, and winter squash, for example—many “New World” foods arrived in the U.S. via Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.

“American foods” generally fall into six categories:

  • Native Foods: As with all continents, there are vegetables, nuts, mammals and fish that are indigenous to North America. Examples: the “three sisters,” the combination of black beans, corn, and squash upon which several Native American diets were based; the American bison.
  • Hybrid Dishes: Old World recipes adapted to include New World ingredients. Example: cornbread.
  • Ethnic Blends: When diverse cultures and their cuisines settle together in a new region, foods mix. Example: chop suey, spaghetti and meatballs.
  • Regional Specialties: The American melting pot of different origins and available ingredients stirs up a “taste of place.” Examples: Cajun and Tex-Mex cuisines.
  • General Traditions & Food Fads: While they seem all-American, the history of these items can be traced to the Old World. Examples: corn dogs, Chex mix, and Rice Krispies Treats.
  • Manufactured Goods: Items that foreigners typically associate with the U.S. Examples: cola, moon pies, Jell-O, McDonalds and TV dinners—all of which were invented in America.
  •  
    We’re going to add another category: Technique. Barbecue is an example.

    Our word barbecue derives from the Spanish adaptation of barbacoa, from the language of a Caribbean tribe called the Taino. Their barbacoa was a raised wooden grate over a fire of wood or charcoal, where meat was grilled.

    Spanish explorers observed the technique, and the word first appeared in print in 1526, in an account of the West Indies [source].

    As the practice evolved, the wooden racks of the Taino were replaced with pits and smokehouses.

    What are your thoughts about what makes a food “American?”

     


    [1] The Pilgrims and other immigrants to New England discovered Native Americans eating blueberries, among other New World foods (photo © Blueberry Council).


    [2] Corn, which originated in Mexico, is the staple grain of the Americas (photo © Good Eggs).

     

     
     

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    PRODUCT: Popcorn With Canola Oil

    Popcorn is even healthier with canola-based
    Pop Weaver. Others use partially hydrogen-
    ated soybean oil. Photo by Katharine Pollak
    | THE NIBBLE.

    Pop Weaver, a microwave popcorn produced by Indiana’s Weaver Popcorn Company, has replaced the oil in its popcorn with a heart-healthy canola oil blend—the first in the industry. The benefit: Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9 fatty acids plus lower calories, total fat, saturated fat and sodium.

    Jolly Time, Orville Redenbacher and Pop Secret still use the industry standard: partially hydrogenated soybean oil. The canola oil doesn’t impact the flavor: the new formulation tasted like any good microwave popcorn.

    All three flavors in the Pop Weaver microwave popcorn line—Light Butter, Butter and Extra Butter—have been reformulated to incorporate canola oil. Both Light Butter and Butter carry the American Heart Association’s Heart Check mark, designating them as heart-healthy products. The popcorn is also certified kosher (dairy) by KSA.

    All three flavors also have zero grams of trans fat and have 210 calories, 230 calories and 260 calories, respectively, per full popped bag.

    Pop Weaver’s canola oil blend is primarily composed of heart-healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which help to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. The Omega-3, -6 and -9 fatty acids also help to protect against coronary heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.

    Popcorn itself contains healthy antioxidants. As a whole-grain food, it also contains valuable fiber.

    Pop Weaver points out that its popcorn is a great snacking value as well, at 21 cents per full bag popped. The family-owned company is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of popcorn products. The products are available at Walmart and other discount stores nationwide.

     

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